Richard Symonds, from Crawley, is in both somewhat vitriolic and seasonal mood.

His first complaint concerns our national news page picture on Monday showing New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani comforting an injured victim of a suicide bomber who attacked the northern Israeli city of Haifa.

Mr Symonds writes: "For readers who do not like their integrity, impartiality and objectivity compromised, especially by a Gannett-controlled newspaper, can we now look forward to a same-sized photograph of Mayor Giuliani comforting a victim of Israeli terrorism in a Palestinian hospital? I thought not.

"I bet you 20 dollars this particular photograph appears in every Gannett-owned newspaper in the world."

Well, please send the money, Mr Symonds, for I know of several other Gannett-owned papers in this country that didn't use the picture and The Argus Appeal would welcome the donation.

More seriously, your apparent suggestion that our titles are in some way biased and editors such as myself publish only what we are told is, frankly, nonsense.

The company has a culture and whole philosophy of allowing editors to do exactly what they are paid to - edit without any interference from anyone, owners included.

This picture was simply the best to use that day and I am sure that if Mayor Giuliani was to visit a Palestinian victim we would indeed publish it for it would be, as you suggest, quite a story!

Mr Symonds' other complaint I have to agree with. He spotted our report on December 4 stated: "He (George Harrison) believed ... in achieving inner piece."

"I become acutely aware of a missing inner 'piece' when this manic time of festive spending comes around," he says. "May I wish you a very merry Christmas - and peace." Point taken - and the same to you.

Our page three report on Tuesday about TV chat show host Jonathan Ross's resident band Four Poofs And A Piano gave the wrong number for the band's manager (as supplied by band member David Wickenden).

The correct number is 01444 440185.

We also messed up in some editions of Tuesday's paper by transposing some of the pages of our Business and Evolution pull-out with others from our Christmas At The Last Minute supplement.

Apologies and I hope it didn't spoil readers' enjoyment too much.

Finally, a complaint from Petra Dalton, communications officer for Wealden District Council, who says she has been asked to write by members of the council's development control sub-committee about our reporting of planning applications.

She says that while councillors are grateful for our interest in planning issues, they feel that we have sometimes given the impression that decisions have been made on applications when in fact they have still to be decided upon.

Many thanks, Petra, and we will be more careful in the future.